1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to speakerphones including a voice messaging function. More particularly, it relates to the inclusion of a voice message playback signal together with a speakerphone signal in a telephone conversation.
2. Background of Related Art
Voice messaging systems such as telephone answering devices are well known. A typical telephone answering device allows a caller to record a voice message for a user who fails to answer an incoming telephone call. Initially, voice messaging systems recorded voice messages onto magnetic cassette tapes. However, more recent voice messaging systems record voice messages into digital memory (e.g., typically non-volatile memory such as Flash memory).
To retrieve a recorded voice message, a user typically activates a PLAY function of the telephone answering device, either locally or from a remote location over a telephone line. In a remote access mode, the conventional telephone answering device replaces handset access to the telephone line with a signal path from the played back voice messages to the telephone line. In either case, the playback of a voice message is conventionally heard only by the user, either locally or at the remote location.
Oftentimes it is desired to share a particular voice message with someone else. To do so, the conventional user must call and verbally paraphrase or repeat the voice message which they played back for themselves. It is possible to playback a voice message and hold the handset of a telephone toward the speaker of the telephone answering device, allowing an uncontrolled level of the played back voice message to be coupled into the telephone call between the user and the other person at the far end of a telephone call. Unfortunately, this typically requires the user to take the handset away from their own ear, preventing the user from participating in a conversation with the far end party while picking up some level of the played back message.
There is a need for an improved apparatus and technique for allowing a user of a telephone answering device to share a recorded voice message with another party.